Kuhn Group Sales Dip 9% in 2025 but Orders Signal Recovery
Kuhn Group recorded net sales of NZ$2.27 billion in 2025, finishing around 9% lower than in 2024.
In a move that appears to have been repeated by many equipment manufacturers, Kuhn confirms it currently working on several autonomous solutions – particularly in the area of feeding.
The first to break cover is AURA, a self-propelled ‘feeding solution’ that loads, weighs, mixes, distributes and even ‘pushes up’ feed to the barrier. Part of the ALFS (Autonomous Livestock Feeding System) that started as a concept in 2015, the finished version recently walked away with an innovation award at the recent French Space 2020 Expo.
Up front, a rotary cutterhead and conveyor system – like the one already used on the company’s full-sized mixer wagons – cuts silage directly from the clamp face and delivers it to the machine’s 3 cubic metre capacity tub.
Said to be suitable to feed a mob of up to 280 animals, the AURA tips the scales at 6.2 tonnes empty. It can travel at speeds of up to 7km/h around the yard or 2 km/h when feeding.
Currently powered by a 56hp diesel engine, Dairy News understands that a hybrid option is in the pipeline.
This will use the engine for loading and mixing and then switch to an ‘electric mode’ for feeding – helping to reduce both noise and emissions.
Guidance at the clamp is taken care of by GPS/RTK in conjunction with an odometer, while at the feeding area, LIDAR and the odometer is the chosen solution.
Building a strong team is one of the biggest drivers of a successful sheep and beef business, but it can also be one of the tougher parts to get right.
Blueberry growers are warning that fresh imports could pose a huge biosecurity risk for NZ’s horticulture sector.
As expected, the US has launched a safeguard investigation into lamb imports, a move that could impact New Zealand sheepmeat returns.
A milk glut around the world shows no sign of easing, putting downward pressure on farmgate milk prices for the next few months.
A pause on Waikato Regional Council's (WRC) plan change that sets new freshwater rules for farming could be announced in the coming weeks.
Tayla Steele is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Veterinary Science at Massey University in Palmerston North.
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